Achieve Your Goals With 4 Easy Questions
It’s easier to achieve your goals if you break them down. But what does that really mean? We share a 4-step template you can use immediately.
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | More
We discuss how to achieve really BIGG, long-term goals on The BIGG Success Show. Here’s a summary of that discussion.
The “BIGG” in BIGG success is an acronym for:
Believing
Implementing
Goal-getting
Giving back
Today we’re focusing on the first “g”: goal-getting. Before you can achieve your goals, you have to set goals. Goal-setting precedes goal-getting.
The problem with BIGG goals
We’re taught to set BIGG goals – or BHAG – another acronym which stands for big (they spelled it wrong), hairy, audacious goals. This phrase was coined by Jim Collins and Jerry Porras in their wonderful book, Built to Last: Successful Habits of Visionary Companies*.
We’re told about The Magic of Thinking Big* by David Schwartz. (He spelled it wrong too.) Goals help us grow. And BIGG goals help us grow even more.
And we’re BIGG Success, the community of BIGG goal-getters. So, of course, we have to think BIGG (with 2 g’s).
But there’s a problem with thinking BIGG, no matter how you spell it. BIGG goals can look insurmountable. Like you’re standing at the base of the tallest mountain you’ve ever seen. And you can see the top, but you have absolutely no idea how to get there.
So what’s the answer? The gurus say, “Break down your goals.” What exactly does that mean? How do you do it?
The problem with long-term goals
The problem with long-term goals is that they can feel elusive. You know it’s important to you, but you can’t get really, really excited about it because it seems so distant. Obviously, the solution to this problem is to break it down to daily activities. But – if our long-term goal is also a BIGG goal, it can seem difficult. So we often just don’t do it.
However, thinking more short-term helps you get the focus you need for the long run. It helps you unclutter your mind so you move even faster to the life you dream of living.
This Podcast Episode is Sponsored by: FinancialFreedomTool.com
Do you stress over money? Who doesn’t? Let the Financial Freedom Tool ease your mind by pinpointing opportunities to improve your financial picture. Take control, so you feel empowered to move ahead with confidence and clarity. Learn more at FinancialFreedomTool.com.
The remedy in 4 Questions
So here’s the remedy: With the vision of that life clearly in your mind, use our handy, dandy BIGG Breakthrough Goal-Getting Template. It will take you through four simple questions which will help you achieve your BIGG goals.
Q1: What do I want to accomplish in the next 90 days?
By zeroing in on the next quarter – 90 days – you relieve yourself of the vagueness and the distance of your long-term goals. You focus on what has to happen in the near-term. If the goal is truly something you want to achieve, a 90-day focus gets your juices flowing and ramps up your progress toward your ultimate goal.
Do you see what happened in that last sentence? What motivates you? Why is it so important for you to achieve this goal?
But exuberance needs to be focused. You can achieve all you want, just not all at once. You’ll drive yourself mad if you try. So set three goals – one for each facet of your life. We call this 360-degree goal-setting.
Armed with your 90-day goals and the “why” underlying them, you’re ready for the next question.
Q2: Where do I want to be at the end of the first month?
Now that you have your 90-day goal clearly set, determine what you can (and will) get done in the first 30 days. Obviously, you would like to knock off about one-third of your long-term goal. You may even consider front-loading it a little so you give yourself a little break (i.e. reward) toward the end of the 90 days.
Q3: What needs to be done this week?
With that done, you’re ready to break it down further. Look at what you want to accomplish this month and break it down by the week. Once again, consider front loading your scheduled activities a little bit and giving yourself a little break toward the end of the week.
Q4: What’s important today?
Finally, break it down by day. With your weekly plan in front of you, set goals for each day of the week. Give yourself a little breathing room for those unexpected situations that demand your time.
Rinse & Repeat
Of course, at the beginning or ending of each day, you’ll want to review what needs to be accomplished for the week and plan out your next day. Ditto for each week and month.
Then just repeat this process every 90 days until you’re enjoying living the life you’ve always dreamed of! That’s BIGG success!
An example on how to achieve your goals
BIGG goal: Build a $1 million investment portfolio in 20 years, starting with $0.
90 days: Start investing $1,750 a month to achieve BIGG goal.
Month 1: Review income and expenses (consider using our Financial Freedom Tool)
Week 1: Get in the habit of recording all outflows in a spreadsheet
Today: Set up a spreadsheet to track outflows
Free template
Get our BIGG Breakthrough Goal-Getting Template. It’s a one-page cheat sheet of the four questions we discussed today. Download it for free!
Here’s to your BIGG success!
George “The Professor” & Mary-Lynn
Co-Founders, BIGG Success
Direct link to The Bigg Success Show audio file | podcast:
http://traffic.libsyn.com/biggsuccess/01003-121219.mp3
A link with a * denotes an affiliate link. That means if you click that link and make a purchase, we will make a nominal fee for making the referral.
